plenilfandomcom-20200214-history
The Fêrsteald Empire
The Fêrsteald Empire The Fêrsteald Empire is a constitutional monarchy, composed of a king and a senate directly below him. It was formed on the year 136 AE. Though, originally a collection of small states and kingdoms located in the central region of Middleweard, it was able to grow into one of the biggest industrial and military powers in Plenil. However, Fêrsteald has been in a recent state of decline, suffering from political instability, as well as several radical reforms under highly eccentric leaders. Etymology Fêrsteald means "The Strong Unite," or "The Strong come together" from Anglo-Saxon férlæcan (unite) ''and ''weald (strong). History The Knights of Feor During around the 900s WS, a chivalric order called the "Knights of Feor" was founded by Heinrich Basse. It's main objectives were to train commoners and non-combatants to fight and hunt so they could fend for themselves if they were ever required to do so. They initially served under the Myrlic Republic, before travelling around Middleweard to expand their order. They returned to the Myrlic Republic during the 800s WS as a strong and well-respected order. The Myrlic-Vereinian Wars With the Vereinian forces under Erwin Guderian's command, the Myrlic Republic has been suffering a heavy string of defeats, scattering their armies. Running short on manpower, the Myrlician Senate asked for help from the Knights of Feor, whom answered the call. They were able to bolster their depleted armies with fresh troops, train new recruits as well as provide several skilled officers to the army, which shows itself during several battles of the war. The Duchy of Feor After winning the Myrlic-Vereinian War, the Knights of Feor were awarded with a substantial amount of land at the expense of the now annexed state of Verein, making them one of the official duchies of the land, though the chivalric order itself was still preserved under a different leader. Heinrich Basse was pleased at this decision, especially at the notion that the Myrlic Republic, the dominant power of the local region, had actively acknowledged their place. The new Duchy of Feor would spend the next few decades vying for power over the land, with the advantage of a battle-hardened army, the still prominent Knights of Feor, and most importantly, an alliance with the Myrlic Republic. In a time where non-aggression pacts and alliances were rarely agreed upon (and if they were, it would usually last less than a year), this faithful alliance between the Myrlics and the Feors would prove to be a decisive advantage. The Kingdom of Feor The Age of Kings On the 18th of Forma, 232 WS, Frederick von Mackensen upgraded Feor from a duchy to a kingdom, crowning himself as King Frederick I. However, he'd come into conflict with the Myrlic Republic when it came to acknowledging his coronation as legitimate, as the Myrlicians despised the ideas of kings. After much debate and discussion, the Myrlic Republic would acknowledge him as the "First Citizen of Feor" rather than king, which Frederick was satisfied with. The Kingdom of Feor would grow in splendor under King Frederick I, who sponsored improvements in infrastructure and arts at the expense of the national treasury. This famously included a large statue of Heinrich Basse and the Knights of Feor fighting alongside Myrlician legionnaires, located in the center of the capital, named Efeldryh. On 181 WS, Frederick I would be succeeded by his nephew, Frederick William von Mackensen, or Frederick II, who would receive the nickname the "Soldier King," for his military genius, greatly expanding the borders of Feor, as well as enacting reforms on Feor's military to make the soldiers much more disciplined, and its officers much more competent and flexible, giving Feor's military an official name - The Royal Army of Feor. Most notably, he would order his generals to draft strategies for likely scenarios when at war with neighboring countries during peacetime, this would mark Feor, and in turn, Fêrsteald, to be the first nation to ever have a Chief of Staff. However, King Frederick II would come to an untimely end on 142 WS, where he was shot by a stray bullet while trying to rally his armies at the Battle of Catalon during the Great Northern War. It was from this point on when the Kingdom of Feor would start to lose the war against the Northern Coalition. After Frederick II's death, his nephew, Fyrdrin I, or Fyrdrin the Great ascended to the throne on 142 WS. He was given the nickname "Philosopher King" for his famous philosophical pieces of literature, as well as his strong belief in stoicism. He was renowned for being a wise ruler and a brilliant strategist, being able to reform the scattered Feoran armies and rallying them once more against the Northern Coalition. After another six years of brutal back-and-forth fighting, the Northern Coalition surrendered to the Feorans, paying massive war reparations and ceding vast amounts of land. Despite his military achievements, Fyrdrin I had no interest in military expansion or war. Instead, he focused on stabilizing the Feor. He ensured loyalty from local governors and generals, provided free housing and jobs to those rendered homeless and/or unemployed by the war and garnered support from the newly annexed provinces. Most notably, he created a council entirely made up of representatives from the working classes to report to him every year. This would alter how politics in the Kingdom of Feor for the next few decades, as the lower classes now had a stronger voice in the upper echelons of society. King Fyrdrin I's actions of lending support and power to the lower classes greatly provoked the nobility, who feared that he would someday strip their power once the common classes had become too supportive of him. This would cause several uprisings and rebellions throughout the region, most notably the Feor Uprising on 137 WS and the Seof Rebellion on 129 WS. To quell the unrest stirring the noble classes, Fyrdrin I acted swiftly and decisively. He first proposed a ministry of nobles to act as his advisers to balance the power between nobles and commoners. However, once he saw that many of the rebelling nobles were motivated by personal ambition, he responded by gathering them up and executing them, famously stating that "they have lived." After quelling the unrest among the upper classes, he proceeded to sponsors education and the construction of academies and schools. He also ordered the construction of libraries, and several books to be copied and either stored in the library or to be sold. King Fyrdrin I also actively encouraged Feorans to be proficient at board games, such as Chess or Go. This would set a precedent for the Feoran nobility, as it would become expected of a highly respected noble to be proficient at board games. Monthly chess tournaments were also to be hosted in the Feoran Military Academy, to test officers and generals. Fyrdrin I died on the 13th of Ridanu, 50 WS. His death would mark the end of the "Age of Kings" for the Kingdom of Feor, and the assassination of his son, Fyrdrin II, would mark the start of the Wifestre, a period filled with corruption, civil war and internal decline that would last from 50 WS to 75 AE. Wars of Unification Edwyr The Wifestre Period finally ended when Eftgard Rihsian overthrew Cecil Dwelian and ascended to the throne on 75 AE. To prevent further instability, he implemented an official parliament to help the current king govern the state, as well as to oversee a smooth transition of power. He appointed man named Sterfruce von Ludendorff as the first Prime Minister of Feor. King Eftgard of Feor was a very ambitious man, aspiring to establish the Kingdom of Feor as an empire alongside the newly formed Myrlic Empire. However, due to the ''Wifestre'', the Feoran economy and military were in tatters - the infrastructure was a mess, making logistics and travel extremely difficult. Many of the governors, tax collectors and generals were corrupt or incompetent, and soldiers were rarely and if ever, poorly trained. The only portion of the military capable of combat were those who served under Eftgard during the civil wars, many of whom had fallen into retirement or corruption after the war. Eftgard Rihsian, along with Sterfruce, would take up the challenge of bringing Feor back on its knees. This period of recovery would be referred to as Edwyr, ''which would last from 75 AE to 100 AE, in which massive reforms were made swiftly and decisively. Corrupt governors and tax collectors were replaced and punished, some were executed. With aid from the Myrlic Empire (in the form of Fierns and workers), infrastructure was, for the most part, restored. As for restoring the military, Eftgard and Sterfruce had a difficult time attempting to dislodge the corrupt officials of the military. In his personal journal, he stressed the difficulty of having to replace corrupt or incompetent generals when most of the new ones who weren't already corrupt had no experience whatsoever. Still, some generals were still had considerable combat and command experience from Feor's civil wars, and with their advice and training, as well as improvements and upgrades on military education and training, the Royal Army of Feor was now combat ready once again. '''Meresteall' The constant reformation of the military, the reparation of infrastructure and damaged settlements, as well as the creation of new ones, along with the constant search to find or train capable governors and officers were a massive drain on the Feoran treasury. Sterfruce had advised that, after Feor was stable, that he should let the treasury recover its wealth before pursuing his ambition. King Eftgard reluctant agreed, and they spent the next 10 years keeping Feor stable, steadily improving its economic environment, and regularly meeting with their new Chief of Staff to draft strategy for likely wartime scenarios. This period of relative inactivity and stagnation would be known as Meresteall. The Feor-Castillian War On the 5th of Exta, 110 AE, the border villages of the Kingdom of Castille had been requesting aid from the Knights of Feor due to the prominence of brigands in the area. They agreed, but had a difficult time mobilizing their troops due to a lack of supplies. So the border villages asked help from the garrison of the local outposts in the area, whom also agreed to help. The outpost commanders sent detachments to patrol around the villages, and to locate any bases the brigands might gather in. However, when one of the patrols saw the Knights of Feor, they thought that Feor was launching an invasion, and attacked the force. A battle ensued, and once both kings had heard of the incident, they announced a declaration of war, starting the Feor-Castillian War. The war would eventually end in a victory for Feor on the 23rd of Forma, 111 AE, with the Kingdom of Castille being annexed as dictated by the peace terms. The Coalition Wars After winning the Feor-Castillian War, Eftgard and Sterfruce would spend the next few years governing the region and making sure that it was stable before further conquest. However, new powers such as The Eastern Federation and the République d'Ancien, as well as several of the low countries threatened by Feor's rise of power, looked on warily and enviously on this growing state, fearing that their transition into an empire may threaten their position in Middleweard. This would cause coalitions to form against the Kingdom of Feor, starting a series of conflicts collectively known as The Coalition Wars. These wars would prove to be brutal and bloody, involving some of the largest armies and battles fought to date. It would also threaten the fate of the Kingdom of Feor several times. The first coalition to fight against Feor was lead by The Eastern Federation, composed of several of the low countries, including the Kingdom of Bretonnia. The fighting was fierce and gradually grew in scale and ferocity as the nations were able to mobilize more troops to the front. Eventually, General Erwin Gefin was able to decisively defeat the coalition army at the Battle of the Frontiers on 120 AE, forcing The Eastern Federation to sign an armistice. This would become known as the War of the First Coalition. The War of the Second Coalition was fought by the République d'Ancien, along with its buffer states, as well as several of the low countries who decided to join. King Eftgard and his generals had a difficult time trying to defend this time, as his army was still weary and recovering from the First Coalition War. However, with Sterfruce's politicking, as well as aid from the Knights of Feor, they were able to form a defensive line, and consistently push the allied forces back to the point where several of the low countries and Ancien's buffer states signed individual peace treaties. It came to the point where the République d'Ancien signed an armistice on 128 AE, and was forced to pay war reparations as a result. For good measure, Sterfruce made many of the low countries protectorates, forming a big buffer between Ancien and Feor. The War of the Third Coalition started with the revolt of the Castillian provinces on 130 AE. Seeing an opportunity to cripple the Kingdom of Feor once and for all, the République d'Ancien and Eastern Federation, along with willing low countries, formed a third, grand coalition against Feor. It was here where the Royal Army of Feor would desperately fight for the survival of its country. However, even with the help of the Knights of Feor, they couldn't hold the pressure the coalition had put on them, and they soon had to retreat to Grundêfreine, where they were besieged. On the 14th day of the siege, when battle-weary and exhausted troops were on the verge of getting overwhelmed, fresh armies from the Knights of Feor as well as the Myrlic Empire had arrived, coming to Feor's aid. After defeating the allied army at the Siege of Grundêfreine, the coalition army continued a defensive campaign against the combined forces of Feor and Myrlicia, with little success. Many of the low countries either defected to the Kingdom of Feor, or were annexed. On the 4th of Twelfta, 136 AE, the third coalition signed a peace treaty, ceding land to both the Kingdom of Feor and the Myrlic Empire, as well as paying massive war reparations. Several of the low countries also had to pay an annual tribute to both nations. A few weeks later, on the 18th of Forma, 137 AE, Eftgard Rihsian would be crowned as the "First Emperor of the Fêrsteald Empire." He had opted to change the name in honor of the faith of his people, as well as the strength and bravery of his soldiers. And thus, the Fêrsteald Empire was born. Fêrsteald's Early Years Emperor Eftgard I would die shortly after the formation of the Fêrsteald Empire on 141 AE. He was succeeded by his firstborn, Emperor Eftgard II, who spent much of his rule repairing the damage inflicted to the countryside during the Coalition Wars. Many of the emperors after him, collectively known as the Rihsian Dynast, were relatively uneventful. Only two out of the six emperors actually governed Fêrsteald during wartime, and the other four were focused on domestic policy. __FORCETOC__